Evidence for a transition in deformation mechanism in nanocrystalline pure titanium processed by high-pressure torsion

摘要

Nanocrystalline titanium with an average grain size of about 60-70 nm was prepared by high-pressure torsion. The results of hardness and structural evolutions indicate that a strain-induced hardening-softening-hardening-softening behaviour occurs. For coarse-grained titanium, -type dislocation multiplication, twinning and a high pressure-induced alpha-to-omega phase transformation play major roles to accommodate deformation, leading to a significant strain hardening. As deformation proceeds, dynamic recrystallisation leads to a decrease in dislocation density, especially for -type dislocations, leading to a slight strain softening. The -component dislocation multiplication dominates the deformation when the grain size decreases to 100 nm and -component dislocation multiplication, grain refinement and the alpha-to-omega phase transformation contribute to the second strain hardening. The following strain softening is attributed to dynamic recovery.